Means for storing and utilizing electricity on vehicles



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

O. E. BUELL. MEANS POR STORING AND UTILIZING ELECTRICITY 0N VBHIGLES. No.Y 347,768. Patented Aug. 1886.

Wyllnexwes. Ew/enter WWLWMM (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

, G. E. BUELL. MEANS EGE STOEING AND UTILIZING ELECTRICITY 0N VEEIGLES. No. 347,768. Patented Aug. 24, 1886.

Fv'g

INVENTOR.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT @erica CHARLES E. BUELL, OF NEW HAVEN, 'CONNEC/lCU'D MEANS FOR STORING AND UTILIZING ELECTRICITY ON VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,768, dated August'ZL, 1826.

Serial No. 60,500. (No model.)

To LZZ 107mm it may con/cern:

3c it known that I, CHARLES E. BUELL, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and Improved Means for Storing and Utilizing Electricity on Vehicles; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an elevation of a vehicle ar ranged for the storage and utilization of electricity in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a view of a series of secondary batteries or accumulators with switch devices foi-coupling them alternately in multiple arc and in tension series. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail sectional Views showing the switching devices in different positions. Fig. 5 is a view showing a manner of insulating' the wheels ofthe vehicle. Fig. G shows one of the wheels of the vehicle in elevation, and Fig. 7 is aview ofthe means for taking the current oft the charging-circuit.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote the same parts.

My invention relates to improved means for storing clectricityon railroad-trains and other vehicles, and for utilizing the same in driving electric motors to propel the train or Vehicle, `for elect-ric lighting, and for other purposes.

To this end my invention consists, broadly, of a charged electrical conductor extending along the path of' the vehicle, ieans on the vehicle for taking the current from said charged conductor, whether the vehicle be at rest or in motion, and a series ot secondary batteries also located on the vehicle and adapted to be charged by the current so taken oft'.

lt further consists in the combination of a charged electric conductor extending along the path of the vehicle, with thc vehicle carrying means for taking the current Afrom said charged conductor, two or more series of secondary batteries, a separate working-circuit, and switch devices for placing the series of secondary batteries alternately in the chargingcircuit to be charged, and in the working-circuit to he discharged.

It also consists in certain other novel combinations and sub-combinations ofparts, which will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A represents a locomotive-engine whose tractiontion-rails C D, as shown. Between the rails C D is preferably arranged a third rail or conductor, E, which, in connection with one or the other of the rails C D-rail G, for instance constantly charged by means of a powerful dynamo-electric machine located at any suitable point along the line of the road.

Mounted upon the locomotive are two series of secondary batteries, B B, the plates of which are connected to a suitable switch by whose operation one series ot' batteries can be interposed in a chargingcircuit to be charged, while the other series is interposed in an indeu pendent circuit to be discharged. nary form of switch indicated at' F in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, and adapted to couple the plates of the battery being charged in multiple are, and the plates ofthe batteries to be discharged in tension series, is preferably employed. construction of this switch is so well known to persons skilled in the art that further description of it herein is unnecessary, more than to state that by turning the handlef to one position one series of batteries is arranged for charging and the other for discharging, while by turning it to another position the arrangement of the series is reversed. As a means for tal;` ing oit' the current from the chargingeircuit() E, Ipreferably arrange upon the locomotive an arm,G, hinged to the locomotivein any suitable manner and carrying at its lowcrcnd a groovcd contact-wheel, H, or a contact-spring, I, or both, adapted to bear with yielding pressure or other contrivance, J, bearing against the lever li. The current passes through one or both of the contacts, up the arm G, over line my and switch n, to the switching mechanism of secondaries arranged for charging. back to the secondaries switch, thence through line o and switch p to one of the wheels b on rail (l, into the charging circuit again.

wheels a a b b are adapted to run upon tracconstitutes an electric circuit, which is kept 6o The ordi- The upon the middle rail, E, by means of a spring 9o F of the secondarics, thence through the series To enable the secondary batteries to be roo charged by currents of the same direction, the conductor m is provided with a branch, m', terminating in the contact a2. ,When the current in the main charging-circuit is in one direction,switchesn and p are turned to contacts n and p', respectively; vbut when the current in the main charging-circuit is in the opposite direction, said switches a and p are turned to contacts p and a2. I am thus enabled to at all times pass currents of the same direction into the secondaries.

The independent working-circuit into which the secondary batteries discharge is indicated by the letters s s, and extends from the switch ofthe secondaries through the switches t t to the couplings u u, which are adapted to be connected with other couplings on an electric circuit extending throughout the entire train ot' attached vehicles and including in it directly-interposed electric lamps.

A'switchboard, lWI, is arranged within the cab of the locomotive and provided with strips 1 2 3 45 and switches 6 7 8 9 l() l1 12 13, which latter are normally connected with the worlc ing-circuit s s of the secondary batteries, and areadapted to be swung in contact with the conducti 11g-strips 1 2 3 4 5.

N represent-s an electric motor, the armature x ol which is geared to the axle of one ofthe driVingWheeIs a, so as to impart its motion thereto.

Lilies 1415 16 17 connect the strips 2 3 4 5 of the switch board to the electric motor, as shown.

rIhe motor is shown with the ield-magnets connected to the strips of the switch and its armature connected to asepa-rate pair of stri ps, so that the currents can be manipulated in any desired manner through the motor-z'. e., the field-magnets can be used connected in series with the armature, or be connected in a separate branch of the circuit from that which includes the armature. By theemployment of aswitch that will permit ofavarietyofchanges, the great advantage of being able to put the field-magnets and armaturein series when runnin on a level, then splitting the current through the field-magnets and armature when climbing a grade, is possible, and is only possible by the employment of a switch substantially similar to the one shown.

In order to place the armature in series with the field-magnets, as mentioned above, it is only necessary to place arm 13 upon strip 5, arm 11 upon strip 2, arm l2 upon strip 3, and arm 9 upon strip 4, and these connectionsl are to be made when the vehicle is running on a level or slight grade; but when it is running on a steep grade and it is desired to put the armature and 1ield-magnets in multiple circuit it isonly necessary to place arm 9 upon strip 5, arm 10 upon strip 2, arm 11 upon strip 2, arm 12 upon strip 3, and arm 8 upon strip 4, as will also be readily understood.

rIhe various manipulations of the switch necessary for reversing the motor will be readily understood by one skilled in the art,

the only thing necessary being to have the current through the field-magnets and armature in the opposite direction from its former course.

It is of course understood that at the time the motor is being run by the secondary batteries the switches t t are swung out of counection with their contacts t t.

A branch, w, of the working-circuit of the second-aries is made to include an electric lamp, L, which serves as the head-light ol' the locomotive.

It is evident that by my invention any number of elect-ric locomotives running upon the line may -be charged either while in motion or at rest from the single chargingecircuit, and that primary currents of less energy than have heretofore been employed can he stored up in the secondary batteries,while currents ofthe greatest energy required and of great quantity may be obtained from the series of storagebatteries to propel the train bythe electric motors and also be utilized to effeetually illuminate the train or to operate suitable electric-brake mechanism.

The above described embodiment of my invention represents it in one of its simplest forms,and many modifications at once suggest themselves. v

I The arrangement of the switch devices is such that the whole current from the secondaries may be caused to pass either th roughthe motor or into the light circuit, or it may be divided through both.

By means ofthe lever K the contacts H and I can be made to move down upon or away from the conductor E, so as to take off the current from said conductor or not'` as desired. The grooved contact-wheel is preferably used either alone or in connection with the springcontact I, as its flanges operate at all times to preserve the contact.

Where both traction-rails C D are employed as the-conductors of the main charging-circuit, it is necessary to insulate all the wheelsof the train from their respective axles. This may be accomplished in any suitable manner-for instance, by the interposition of insulating material between the wheels and axle, as shown in Fig. 5.

The secondary batteries B may be suitably suspended upon the vehicle, or they may be mounted upon springs V, as shown in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new- 1. The herein-described means for storing electricity on vehicles, consisting of a charged electrical conductor extending along the path of the vehicle, means on the vehicle for taking the current from said charged conductor whether the vehicle be at rest or in motion, and a series of secondary batteries on the vehicle adapted to be charged by the current so taken olf.

2. The combination, substantially as described, of a charged electrical conductor extending along the path of a vehicle with a ve- IOO IIO

hicle carrying means for taking the current from said charged conductor, two or more series of secondary batteries, a separate working circuit, and switch devices for placing the series of secondary batteries alternately in the charging circuit to be charged and in the working-circuit to be discharged.

3. The combination, substantially as described, with a chargiugcircuit extending along the path of a vehicle, ot' a vehicle carrying means for taking the current from said charging-circuit, one or more selies of secondary batteries, an electric motor vfor propelling the vehicle adapted to be included in a working-circuit, and switchdevices for placing the secondary batteries alternately in the chargingcircuit to be charged and into the Workingcircuit to be discharged.

4. rPhe combination of a chargingcircuit cX- tending along the path of a vehicle with a vehicle 'ari-ying means 'for taking the current from said charging-circuit, one or more series of secondary batteries, a circuit containing' electric lamps, a circuit including an electric motor for propelling the vehicle. and switch devices t'or conducting the current from the secondary batteries through either `or both oi" said last-mentioned circuits, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the conductor extending along the path of the vehicle, thevehicle having electrical translating devices thereon, of a device for taking` the current from said conductor, consisting ot' the standard having the roller and spring contacts thereon, both making contact with thc saine conductor, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a vehicle, oi" a battery or batteries thereon, one or more circuits that include translating devices, and conncctions from saidbatteries through a switch mech anism to an electric circuit outside ot' said vchiclc, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a vehicle, ot' a motor mounted thereon for propelling said vehicle and connections from said motor through switch mechanism to a battery upon the vehicle, and connections from the battery to a charged circuit outside said vehicle.

S. The combination ot the vehicle having two or more batteries thereon, a working-circuit, switch devices for placing said batteries into the uf'orkingcircuit alternately, and independent switch devices for placing either of two or more circuits containing translating devices in connection with the workingcircuit, substantially as described.

CHARLES E. BUELL.

Vitncsscs:

MnLvi lynn Ciinncn, Fano F. Unomat. 

